


Worth It

by OtterlyDeerlightful



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Disability, M/M, Paralympics, Speeches, amputee Sportacus, engineer Robbie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 18:53:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11950509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtterlyDeerlightful/pseuds/OtterlyDeerlightful
Summary: A short fic based on Miko's amazing Paralympics AU





	Worth It

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Paralympics AU](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/319965) by Miko. 



“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine!”

“It’s alright if you’re nervous.”

A warm chuckle. “I said I was okay.”

“I know, but, I mean, in case you’re not, we could always ditch and go to dinner early. You know, if you suddenly don’t feel well or…or something…”

“Robbie,” Sportacus said in a soft, yet firm voice, “I’m fine. Are _you_ okay? Are you nervous?”

The tall man folded his absurdly long arms across his chest and glanced back toward the nearby soundboard. “No!” he protested a bit too forcefully. “Why should I be nervous? I’m not the one giving a speech in front of, like, a hundred people. What do I have to be nervous about?”

Sportacus placed a gentle hand on his boyfriends’ waist. “It’s alright, Robbie. Do you want to wait in the hallway or…?”

“No!” Robbie snapped, then sighed. “Sorry,” he said more quietly, “No. I know it’s silly.”

“It’s not silly, Robbie.”

“No, no, it is. But…it’s okay. I’m proud of you.” Robbie leaned down to kiss his boyfriend’s forehead. “ _Blech_! You taste like makeup.”

Sportacus giggled. “Sorry, they insisted. Something to do with the lighting.”

Robbie’s face was still scrunched. “Yes, well, next time someone asks you to give a speech _I’m_ doing your makeup. I may be a ‘grease monkey’ but I clearly know more about cosmetics than whoever did...that. It’s too thick.”

Sportacus smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Robbie sighed as he gazed down at the man by his side, his shoulders falling ever so slightly. “You’re really okay with all this?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”

Robbie shrugged. “…it’s a speech,” he mumbled, as if the problem should be obvious.

“It is,” Sportacus agreed, “But it’s okay. I’ll be fine, Robbie, I promise. They’re only kids. I think many of them will be more excited about what comes _after_ the speech than what I have to say.” He sighed. “Although, I do hope they listen at least a little bit.”

“They’ll listen. Who wouldn’t want to listen to that angelic voice of yours?”

“ _Robbie,_ ” Sportacus laughed.

His boyfriend bent over to kiss him. “If I was in your position, I’d probably be peeing my pants right about now. Good thing it’s you going out there instead.”

Sportacus snickered in amusement.

“Knock ‘em dead, Sporto.”

“Thanks, Robbie,” Sportacus chimed as he set up his microphone. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Sportawheelie.”

His boyfriend snorted and gave Robbie a look. The engineer just shrugged innocently.

“So, without further ado,” came a voice from the small stage just beyond their curtained sanctuary, “may I introduce Alexander Magússon or, as you all probably know him, _Sportacus_!”

Sportacus blew Robbie a kiss, which the tall man pretended to grab midair just to see his boyfriend roll his eyes. Success. Sportacus shook his head and wheeled himself out onto the stage and Robbie slipped further backstage to loop around and join the audience from behind.

Robbie was just in time to catch the tail end of the welcoming applause. He stood near the back of the small crowd, which was really nowhere near the hundred people he had declared, and let his eyes glance about the room as his boyfriend opened with a few stunts in his wheelchair. The audience—the kids in particular—seemed to love it. It was a mixed crowd: children, teens, parents, caretakers, and other onlookers like himself. The sheer diversity of the group surprised him and made Robbie smile.

Up on stage, Sportacus had finally calmed things down enough to give his short speech. He hadn’t been asked to present anything grand; if anything, he was just a local celebrity, a face for promotion. His boyfriend had been excited nevertheless. Robbie still thought the man was crazy for being excited about public speaking, but that was neither here nor there.

“Thank you so much for coming out today, everyone!” Sportacus began, clapping his hands. “I’m so glad to see all of you. I hope you’ve been having a good day so far?”

Many of the children cheered. It was no wonder, really. There had already been a few raffles and some free morning snacks to be had with more goodies still to come.

“Wonderful!” the athlete laughed joyfully. “That’s what I like to hear! I’ve been having a good day, too. I’m very happy to be here to help dedicate the new LazyTown Community Physical Therapy and Recreation Center and I am so honored that Mayor Meanswell invited me to come see you all today. If you had told me five years ago that I would be asked to speak to you all here today, I wouldn’t have believed you. If you had told me _last month_ that the Mayor would ask me to be here I _still_ wouldn’t have believed you,” he laughed.

“Centers like this are important. Do you know why? Because—remember that ‘five years ago’ that I had mentioned?—back then I never really knew places like this existed. Before my accident, I never gave it a second thought. That was terrible, I know,” he acknowledged, “I had _heard_ of the Paralympics, but I never really knew anything about it. No one in my circles ever talked about them.

“After my accident, I felt completely lost. My entire life had been pulled out from under me. I remember thinking ‘What do I have to live for if I can’t play sports anymore?’ I was lonely, and depressed, and I felt like I had no future. I was done.”

Robbie gnawed at his bottom lip. Sportacus had never really talked that much about his accident. Robbie knew about it, sure, but none of the details. He had never wanted to pry into what he knew was anything but a happy memory for his boyfriend. He didn’t like the idea of happy-go-lucky Sportawin laying in a hospital bed feeling so hopeless. It hurt just to think about it and Robbie found himself wishing he could go back in time and find the man just to try and make that phase of his life a little easier.

“And _then_ an amazing thing happened. One of my physical therapists—I still remember her, a lovely lady named Bessie, brand new to the job—heard that I had been an athlete. Everyone else seemed to feel so sorry for me, just like I was feeling sorry for myself. But not Bessie. She took one look at me and said ‘We’ve got to get you back in shape!’ I gave her a look—” The children in the audience giggled at the face Sportacus made on stage “—and said ‘Why? What’s the point?’ And you know what she said? ‘Because those ribbons aren’t going to win themselves!’

“I didn’t know what to say to her. I just kind of stared at her with this dumbfounded look on my face. I even remember wondering if she was making fun of me. Then she told me about one of her friends from school who loved basketball. When she showed me a picture I think my jaw hit the floor. The girl was in a wheelchair! Just like me! A basketball in one hand, a trophy in the other. And that’s how I found out about the Paralympics.

“From that point forward, I was hooked. My life wasn’t over anymore. Sure, I didn’t have legs anymore, but everything else was returned to me and I felt so wonderful! I started working hard, I met so many wonderful people, made so many friends. I even met a wonderful man to call my boyfriend.”

Sportacus smiled in Robbie’s direction. A few people in the audience giggled, some _awwed_. Despite not having any attention drawn to him directly, the engineer slowly tried to shrink into the background of the crowd. His cheeks suddenly felt uncomfortably warm. On stage, Sportacus took a deep breath.

“Centers like this, people just like _you_ gave me my life back. And I realized that, before I lost my legs, I never had a clue anything like this existed. Because I never heard about it, I never got to see it. I may be missing my legs now, but I was missing _so much more_ back when I had them. Because I never got to see it. And _that’s_ why places like this filled with people like you are so important!

“They help us be _seen_! No more ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Places like this…they catch people’s attention.  They help people _see_. And once people are looking, they’ll see how amazing _you_ all are. They need to see that. Because…because this community is wonderful. And people need to just see it to realize that. I’m just...I’m so happy this place is opening. I can’t wait to see you all every day here. Especially _you_ ,” he said with a smile, pointing at the children that were clustered in the front of the audience. “We’re going to have a lot of fun, right?”

The children cheered, their small but enthusiastic voices joined by a few echoing claps throughout the room.

“Thank you so much for having me here. I, uh, rambled a bit more than I expected to, but I guess I couldn’t help it. I’m just…really excited. Thank you all so much for coming and, well, _go have fun!_ ” Sportacus laughed, waving his arms dramatically at the crowd, bidding them to partake in everything the building and its opening celebration had to offer.

After some applause, the audience began to disperse to enjoy the rest of the day’s festivities. A few stragglers approached the stage. Robbie watched as children got Sportacus to sign various balls or sports equipment as souvenirs.  A few even got their pictures taken with him.

Robbie made his way back to the stage himself as the munchkin squad began to break up as well. Sportacus gave him a bright smile, but was quickly distracted when the mayor approached him from the opposite direction, company in tow.

“Thank you again for being our guest of honor, Mr. Magússon. That speech was wonderful.”

“Just Sportacus is fine,” the athlete gently reminded. “And it was my pleasure. I’m sorry that I got so carried away. I guess I was just a little excited.” He turned his attention to the girl seated in a wheelchair by the mayor’s side, flashing her a bright smile. “Who’s this?”

“This is my lovely niece, Stephanie. Oh, ah, Stephanie, this is Mr. Magn—I mean, Mr. Sportacus.”

The girl, radiantly blond and dressed entirely in various shades of pink, returned Sportacus’ friendly smile and rolled her eyes at her uncle’s verbal fumbles. There was a bit of scarring on the right side of her jawline, running down her neck a small distance. She wore a lovely striped dress that nearly hid the fact that she was missing her right leg, but the girl made no attempt to hide her missing hand. Stephanie offered her left out to Sportacus.

“It’s very nice to meet you!” she said sweetly. “You did great in your race the other day! It was amazing!”

Sportacus happily shook her hand. “Oh, thank you very much! Did you have fun?”

Stephanie nodded excitedly. “A lot of fun! Once my nurses say it’s okay…and my uncle lets me…I want to compete myself!”

The mayor shifted his weight as he stood behind the girl’s chair. He looked a little uncomfortable.

“Well, I think you will do great. If you need a training buddy, I definitely plan to come here just about every day! We should work together some time!”

The girl’s eyes practically sparkled at the suggestion. “That’s be great!” she cried. “I’d really like that!”

“Me too,” the man laughed cheerfully.

Robbie awkwardly cleared his throat. “If, uh…you need something that can leave everyone in the dust, erm…I can always help you out. You know, chair-wise.”

Stephanie looked surprised at the offer. “I…wow, that’s really nice of you, Sir…”

“Oh,” Sportacus laughed, waving for the engineer to join them. “This is my boyfriend, Robbie. He’s excellent at fixing up wheelchairs. He designed mine practically from the ground up!” he said proudly, oblivious to the redness now decorating his partner’s cheeks.

“Wow, that’s really cool.” Stephanie shrugged slightly. “But…well, I don’t know if I want to race in my chair. I saw this _really_ cool video the other day of this woman who ran this entire race with…oh, what were they called?” She furrowed her brow for a split second as she tried to recall the word. “Oh, prosthetical legs! They looked so cool! They were like metal _springy_ things! I want to try and use those.”

“Ahh, Stephanie,” the mayor interrupted nervously. “Those are, um…they’re _very_ expensive, and it _will_ be a bit of time before you’d be ready to try something like those, and…”

“I know,” the girl sighed in obvious disappointment. “I’d just really like to try it one day, that’s all.”

Robbie felt a twinge in his chest. Good grief, dating Sportacus had turned him into a soft pile of mush, hadn’t it? “Well,” he heard himself interject, “When your nurses—and uncle—think you can give ‘em a try, I’ll, uh…I’ll design you a pair. F-for free.”

The girl gasped so loudly Robbie briefly worried that her lungs may have sprung a leak.

“For _free_?” she cried, her bright face and wide, open smile the very personification of excitement. “ _Really?_ Uncle Milford, did you hear that?”

“I, uh, yes,” the man replied awkwardly as he tried to recover from the shock. “I…a-are you _sure_ , Mr. Robert.”

“Just call me Robbie,” the man mumbled awkwardly as he tried his best to ignore the bubbly grin he knew his boyfriend was aiming straight at him like a love-laden laser beam.

“You’re the best, Robbie!” Stephanie cried, wheeling herself closer and leaning over to hug the tall man’s legs.

He stiffened immediately and looked to Sportacus for help. The athletic buffoon was no help, of course, and only beamed up at his partner, his broad chest swelling with pride. Robbie carefully tried to pull back from the embrace and save himself. Luckily, Stephanie seemed easily distracted in her overjoyed excitement and pulled away to turn to her uncle instead. Thank God.

“I’ll be able to race, Uncle Milford! It’ll be so much fun! I’ll be…” The girl paused, blinking. “I…I’ll be able to walk. I’ll be able to walk, too!” she cried in sudden realization before turning back to Sportacus and Robbie. “Do you think I’d be able to dance, too? I really miss it!”

“Maybe,” Sportacus said as he rested a supportive hand on her shoulder. “But it’ll take a lot of hard work, and it may not always be fun. And it might take a long time. But I’ll try and help you in any way that I can. I mean, what are training buddies for, right?”

The girl laughed, undeterred by the challenge. “Right!”

“Are you _certain_ that this is alright?” the mayor asked Robbie, having shuffled behind the tender moment to reach the engineer. “I…that’s a lot of work f-for _nothing_. I mean, I can certainly compensate you for your time, but I’m afraid I can’t quite meet—”

“No, no, it’s fine.”

“But she’s still growing. I…she’ll outgrow any pair you make, I’m sure, and it’s simply not fair to—”

“It’s not fair that money is what’d keep her from having a shot,” Robbie interrupted quietly. He watched the girl and his boyfriend chatter on about dancing and sports-related nonsense. “B-besides, uh…it’d be good free advertising anyway!”

Mayor Milford chuckled. “I suppose it would be. And I’m certain Stephanie will be singing your praises at any opportunity if she gets to run her race.” The man sighed. “She’s been through so much. I don’t know how she’s been able to handle it as well as she has. She’s the strongest person I know.”

Robbie stared at Sportacus. “Yeah. I know the feeling.”

As if his ears were burning, Sportacus looked over his shoulder to flash Robbie one of his famous smiles. The engineer had to use the entirety of his willpower not to physically melt at the sight of it.

“Hey, Uncle Milford, can we go get some food?” Stephanie asked.

“Oh, oh course we can! Well, it was wonderful having you here today, Mr. Sportacus, and an absolute pleasure to meet you, too, Mr. Robbie. But it _is_ pushing past lunchtime, I suppose.”

“It was my pleasure, Mayor!” Sportacus sang happily. “No doubt we’ll run into each other again soon…probably at the buffet.”

The portly man let out a chuckle. “Indeed! Come on, Stephanie.”

“Good-bye! It was great meeting the both of you. Th-thank you so much. For everything!” the girl said, beaming back at the couple as her uncle started to direct her chair back toward the rest of the festivities.

Stephanie and Sportacus exchanged a friendly wave of farewell before the two men were left alone. Robbie shifted his weight from one foot to the other before clearing his throat.

“Cute kid,” he mumbled awkwardly.

“She was lovely,” Sportacus agreed happily. “There’s something about her, don’t you think? Her energy is just infectious!”

Robbie gave his boyfriend a look and a shrug. “I guess. So. You, uh, want to get something to eat? I’m pretty sure I can hear your stomach from here.”

Sportacus leaned back in his chair, smirking up at the tall man. “That’s _your_ stomach, Robbie.”

The engineer gave a nonchalant shrug. “What can I say? I worked up an appetite worrying about this thing for hours. In case you weren’t aware, worrying for two is a lot of work, Sportaspeech.”

Sportacus chucked. “Okay, Robbie.”

With that, the pair followed the rest of the event-goers and nabbed themselves a spot in line to be served. The catering was nothing fancy but, as Robbie pointed out, ‘any free food is good food.’ The lanky engineer filled his plate primarily with dessert items while the athlete was sure to grab a salad to go along with his delicious sandwich. Sportacus gave Stephanie and the mayor a friendly wave across the small sea of people when he spotted her; the girl enthusiastically reciprocated. Sportacus lead his boyfriend away from the hum of the celebration. The two men soon settled comfortably under the shade of a tree that leaned over the small patio like it was trying to listen in on the attendees’ conversations.

Robbie took a seat on a small bench and dove into his food. Sportacus parked himself next to the man and started on his delicious berry-filled salad. Stomach satisfied with the attention Robbie had paid to its demands, the man’s mind was free to take over once again. He glanced over at his boyfriend, watching Sportacus eat. It took the athlete a minute or so to notice that he had an audience.

“What?” Sportacus asked curiously. “Did I get dressing on my face again?” he worried, already reaching for his napkin.

“No, no, you’re good.”

Sportacus looked back up at his partner. “Robbie?” he questioned when he noticed the strange look on the other’s face. “Is something wrong?”

“No. Yes. I…well, not really. But…in a way…” He groaned at his own inability to verbalize his feelings and clawed briefly at the air. “It sounds dumb.”

“I’m sure it won’t,” Sportacus said as he angled his chair to more easily face his boyfriend. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Robbie set his plate down and sighed. “I just wish you didn’t have to go through all that,” he mumbled with downcast eyes.

Sportacus snickered. “What, the speech? It’s over, Robbie, and I had a lot of fun! You should have seen all the kids’ faces from where I was up there!”

“N-no, not that.” Robbie shook his head. “Well, _kind of_ that. I mean…what you talked about.”

Now Sportacus understood. The smile on his face quickly disappeared. He leaned over and placed a gentle hand on Robbie’s thigh for comfort.

“It’s okay, Robbie,” he said quietly. “That was years ago. I’m fine now. It’s far enough behind me that I can talk about it and be okay now. You don’t have to be sad.”

His words didn’t seem to comfort Robbie in the slightest.

“I just wish you didn’t have to go through it in the first place,” Robbie grumbled. “Just _thinking_ about you in the hospital after…” He shuddered. “I can’t even begin to imagine how it actually was for you. And…and it sounds stupid, but I wish I could have somehow prevented it. Or _helped_ or…something.” He shook his head, mentally kicking himself for being such a sappy softie. “I told you it sounded stupid.”

“It doesn’t, Robbie, I promise,” Sportacus said softly.

The blond was quiet for a little while, his brow furrowed with thought as he rubbed Robbie’s leg comfortingly. The engineer rested his hand atop the other’s and Sportacus’ smile finally returned.

“You know,” Sportacus said at long last, “I think…I think that given a second chance to go back and change it, I would still go through all that again. It was terrible, and…painful. It was the darkest time in my entire life. But…but I think it was worth it now that I’m here on the other side.”

Robbie pulled his hand away, his posture yanking his spine up and away from his partner as he tried his best to process the shock that had just been delivered to his psyche. Worth it? Robbie flapped his lips uselessly, trying to come up with a response to something that sounded so absurd. _Worth it?_ His boyfriend was mad. Sportacus was a crazy person. Robbie wasn’t sure when it had happened, but somewhere between the speech and the salad, his boyfriend had lost his marbles.

“Buh—wha—no! How? I don’t...Sportacus!” Robbie babbled before gesturing to the wheelchair. “Your _legs_! I don’t…bwuh?”

Sportacus chuckled at Robbie’s dramatic response, though he couldn’t exactly blame the man, could he? He supposed the sentiment _did_ sound a little bizarre, given the subject matter and the nightmare he had lived through.

“Well…yes, it would be nice to have those back,” Sportacus admitted with an awkward chuckle. “But…I traded them for something better.” He couldn’t help but smile at Robbie’s blank stare. “If I hadn’t been in that accident, I would never have needed my chair. And…and my chair is why we met.”

Robbie could only blink in response.

“In a way, I…traded my legs for _you_ ,” Sportacus said quietly. “Th-that’s why all the pain was worth it. I have you because of it.”

Robbie made a soft wheezing noise through his nose. The man shook his head before running a nervous hand through his gelled hair. How does one react to hearing something like that? He loved his stupid speeding blue bullet, but the thought of Sportacus willingly enduring hell just because of _him_ just didn’t feel right. Robbie never wanted to see Sportacus in pain; he didn’t like to think of the man ever having _been_ in so much pain.

A warm hand still rested on the engineer’s knee. Robbie looked up, instantly softening at the sight of the blond man’s bright blue eyes. He reached out and took Sportacus’ hand in his own. The taller of the pair let out a slow sigh.

“I just…I still wish you didn’t have to go through all of that.”

“I know,” Sportacus said quietly. “It’s okay to feel that way, Robbie. Sometimes I wish that that, too.” He smiled. “Then I think about you.”

Robbie tried to fight down an embarrassed blush. Sportacus just kept smiling, rubbing careful circles on his boyfriend’s knee. The athlete’s gaze slowly drifted away as he clearly began to think about something. Robbie rolled his eyes at the familiar tell and leaned forward to kiss Sportacus on his cheek to snap him back to reality, which he did with a slight jolt.

“You okay in that noggin?” Robbie asked softly.

Sportacus smiled, but there was a nervousness in his eyes that Robbie knew hadn’t been there before. Before he could ask if the man was alright, though, Sportacus abruptly handed Robbie his plate from the buffet. He took it, of course, but was absolutely bewildered as to what had just happened.

“I was going to, um, save this for dinner later tonight,” Sportacus admitted as he wheeled back and away, leaving even more confusion for Robbie in the chair’s wake.

Robbie set the plates aside, about to ask what the daft man was doing now, when his boyfriend answered the question for him. Sportacus unfastened himself and quickly eased himself down to the patio floor, seating himself squarely in front of his boyfriend. Robbie stared, his back tense. No…this couldn’t be what it looked like, could it? The engineer watched his partner prop himself up, stretching to his full height before shakily taking Robbie’s hand in his own. The tall man felt himself stop breathing.

“Robbie,” Sportacus said slowly. “I…I’ve never been so happy and…and _whole_ since I met you. You’re smart, and funny, and the sweetest man I could ever ask to have in my life. And I…I want to stay with you. F-forever. If…if you’ll have me, that is,” he concluded awkwardly as he reached one hand back to pull a small box from his pocket.

Robbie’s eyes followed the tiny thing’s path, watching as Sportacus opened it to reveal a gorgeous silver band. The tiny metal circle shone brightly in the afternoon sunlight and Robbie finally felt himself breath. He had to; the beauty of the gesture and the physical representation thereof made him gasp.

“Sp-Sporta…Sporta…?” he fumbled, unable to come up with a witty nickname for the wonderful man waiting before him.

“Will you marry me, Robbie?” Sportacus asked hopefully with giant eyes.

Robbie felt the tears sliding down his cheeks before he was aware that he was crying. The absurdity made him laugh, and the indescribable joy just made it louder. He pushed himself off of the bench, falling to his knees with his boyfriend—fiancé—and grabbed Sportacus into an enormous, crushing hug.

“Yes, you stupid muscle-bound menace!” he shouted probably a little too loudly.

Robbie searched for Sportacus’ lips, following the sounds of the blond’s own elated laughter. They wrapped their arms around one another as they fell into a fit of giggles, joy, and kisses. Suddenly Robbie wasn’t quite so bothered with Sportacus’ makeup. After what felt like an eternity in a second, Sportacus pulled away enough to pull the engagement ring from its box. Both of them shaking horribly, he slipped the shining band onto Robbie’s finger. The couple gazed at each other, each with a bright, teary smile on their face. Robbie leaned in to kiss the stupid, sappy man, _his_ stupid, sappy man.

“Congratulations!” came a call from nearby.

The two men snapped to attention, looking over to see a plethora of eyes pointed in their direction. Mayor Meanswell was busy trying to shush his niece. Oh God. They were all watching them. Robbie tensed at the sudden influx of attention. Gentle fingers caressed his arm. Robbie looked back at Sportacus and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his love’s charming face. He wrapped his arms around the athlete anew and gave his new fiancé a gentle kiss. He suddenly didn’t care so much about having an audience.


End file.
